On September 1, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted over 20 world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China. The two-day gathering, which brought together leaders from the SCO’s ten member states and 16 observer and dialogue partners, focused on regional cooperation and global challenges. In his opening address, Xi condemned “bullying behaviour” and Cold War mentalities in international relations, urging unity and fairness to navigate an increasingly turbulent world.
A High-Profile Gathering
The summit opened with a group photo on a red carpet, capturing leaders from China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. Live footage showed Xi, Putin, and Modi engaging in discussions, highlighting the SCO’s role as a platform for diplomatic engagement. The organization, which spans Eurasia and represents nearly half the world’s population, positions itself as a counterweight to Western-led alliances like NATO.
Xi’s speech emphasized the “Shanghai spirit” of mutual trust and cooperation, stressing the need to “oppose Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, and bullying behaviour” to promote fairness and justice. He warned that the global situation is “chaotic and intertwined,” with member states facing heightened security and development challenges. “By adhering to our shared principles, we can forge ahead and strengthen the SCO’s role,” Xi stated, reflecting on the group’s achievements despite global volatility.
Strategic Significance of the SCO
The SCO, founded in 2001, has grown into a key forum for addressing regional security, economic cooperation, and geopolitical strategies. China and Russia often present it as an alternative to Western-dominated institutions, advocating for a multipolar world. The 2025 summit underscored this vision, with discussions focusing on countering external pressures, enhancing trade, and addressing regional crises, such as instability in the Sahel and recent natural disasters like the Afghan earthquake that killed over 600.
The presence of leaders from observer states and dialogue partners, including countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, highlighted the SCO’s expanding influence. Putin and Modi’s attendance, fresh from recent diplomatic engagements, reinforced the summit’s role in shaping Eurasia’s geopolitical landscape. Notably, Modi’s participation followed his recent briefing by Putin on the Ukraine peace talks, signaling India’s growing role as a mediator in global conflicts.
Looking Ahead
As the summit continues through September 2, 2025, the SCO aims to solidify commitments to regional integration, economic partnerships, and collective security. Xi’s call for unity resonates amid ongoing global tensions, including trade disputes and conflicts like the Russo-Ukrainian War. The Tianjin gathering positions the SCO as a vital platform for addressing these challenges, with member states pledging to deepen cooperation and resist external pressures.
The 2025 SCO Summit underscores China’s leadership in fostering a multipolar world, with Xi, Putin, and Modi at the forefront of efforts to redefine global alliances. As the leaders depart Tianjin, their discussions are set to influence international relations, offering a vision of collaboration grounded in the “Shanghai spirit” for a turbulent future.
